--Eventually, everyone experiences “senior moments.” You may forget where you left your keys, or walk into a room only to realize that you can’t recall why you entered in the first place. As we get older, the physical signs of slowing down also become…

--While the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico dominated the news during summer 2010, it was a somewhat unusual summer for the rest of the world as well. Extreme heat and fires in Russia caused millions of dollars worth of damage. Flooding in Pakistan has…

--In many cultures, including our own, bread constitutes a significant portion of the daily diet. However, how often do we stop to think about the unique material properties of the food that we eat and how those properties influence how bread (or any…

--Almost all of us have, or know someone who has an allergy. An allergy is an overreaction of your immune system to something that is foreign to your body, but may not be dangerous to other healthy individuals. People can be allergic to pollen, mold,…

--Humans are an extremely visual species, with much of our brains devoted to visual processing. Sight is one of the most important ways we experience our external environment; consequently, it may not be surprising that certain images can invoke a…

--The Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion is shaping up to be one of the great disasters of our time. The equivalent of nearly 5 million barrels of crude oil has already been released into the Gulf of Mexico, endangering the local marine and coastal…

--At some level, getting in shape seems pretty straightforward: Eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and push yourself when you work out, whether it’s at the gym, in the pool, or on the track. If you need some extra motivation, exercise classes and…

--Bacteria are ubiquitous. They defend and define us, constituting over 90% of the cells in the human body. They wield the ability to survive in the most extreme of environments, and the chemical reactions they catalyze hold the potential for vital…

--The story of the mysterious disappearance of the Western honeybee seems as if it should have sprung from the mind of sci-fi author Douglas Adams, rather than from sunny Florida. The strange nature of this scientific conundrum may explain why it has…

--The Human Genome turns ten years old this summer. Ten years ago President Clinton and British Prime Minister Blair announced that a draft copy of all 3 billion letters of the genetic code had been finished. The combined public and private effort cost…